Essendon Bombers Embroiled In AFL Supplement Crisis

The mystery supplement crisis may end up being on the biggest in AFL history.

Delisted Essendon Bomber Kyle Reimers has blown the lid on what is shaping up to be one of the biggest scandals in AFL history.

Reimers accused the club of providing what is now described as up to 80 percent of Bomber players with a mystery supplement that may have contained banned substances. Now, the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) has joined the AFL in investigating the matter.

Included in Reimers’ accusation was a claim the club made players sign waivers before taking the supplements.

The mystery figure traced back to the centre of the issue is Stephen Dank, a self-proclaimed performance scientist who has been involved in a number of recent interesting developments in the profession. Dank is also known as a private figure in the football world, mysterious to a degree.

Also involved is fitness coach fitness coach Dean “The Weapon” Robinson, who received large amounts of public criticism after the Bombers’ playing personnel suffered an almost abnormal amount of soft tissue injuries during the 2012 season, ending what initially looked like a finals bound year. Robinson was stood down Tuesday pending results of the current investigation while Dank was sacked late last year.

Wednesday brought more news- apparently the supplement in question was used by clubs other than Essendon. Used to stimulate the production of naturally occurring hormones, increase muscle growth and strength, and increase the production of red blood cells to improve the blood's ability to carry oxygen, the supplement is undoubtedly a banned substance.

Ramifications would likely be subject to not just the club, but the players as well.